Daily Scripture

Scripture:

Genesis 18:20-32
Colossians 2:12-14
Luke 11:1-13

Reflection:

When I reflected on the Scripture readings for Sunday, I was reminded once again of our human tendency to try to make God’s will fit what we want. But thanks be to God, God doesn’t operate the way we usually do! We hear this in our second reading from Colossians (2:12-14): “And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.”

How do we respond to such love and mercy? In our Gospel reading (Luke 11:1-13), Jesus’ disciples ask Him to teach them how to pray. And so, we hear Luke’s account of the Lord’s Prayer. And Jesus begins the prayer with what ought to be our first response to God’s overwhelming love: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” In the face of such love and mercy, we are to humble ourselves before God in praise, and await the fulfillment of God’s kingdom. Jesus continues: “Give us each day our daily bread.” We are to acknowledge that even the necessities of life are gifts from God.

Out of praise and thanksgiving for God’s love for us, flows our response to the rest of God’s beloved. Jesus continues with what I think is the most challenging part of the prayer: “…and forgive our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.” Wow! Or maybe more accurately, “Ow!” Asking God’s forgiveness involves being willing to forgive others! In these divided times, forgiveness doesn’t seem to be too popular, even though it is admired from a distance. In our first reading from Genesis (18:20-32), God is deciding what to do with Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham pleads with God to spare those places even if there are only ten innocent people there, and God states that such mercy will be shown. I find Abraham’s pleading for mercy in sharp contrast to what we see a lot of today. There seems to be a rush to condemnation of the “other,” even to the point of painting a whole group of people with the same brush based on the actions of a few. But again, if we recognize God’s mercy toward us, could we not open our hearts to show mercy to others, and work for justice for everyone? Or have we decided that mercy and justice are not an option?

To follow God’s will takes persistence in prayer and openness. After Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He tells a parable about persistence. At times it seemed to me that Jesus was proposing that we nag God until we get what we want. But we don’t need to nag God at all. God knows what we need better than we do. I think the persistence called for is persistence in going to God in prayer in every situation; to be persistent in seeking God’s will, and to be persistent in doing God’s will, trusting that God will give us what we need. This is how we can understand what Jesus means when He says: “Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Later on, after Jesus gives some human examples of this with a father and his child, Jesus then says: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Note that Jesus says, “how much more will the Father in heaven give the holy Spirit,” not “give the fancy car,” or “the big mansion.” No, the more persistent we are in prayer, the more persistent we are in recognizing God’s love and mercy, and the more persistent we are in seeking to do God’s will, the more we will seek and ask for what is really important, and God will give it to us.

May God continue to give us what we need, and may we always seek to do God’s will.

Fr. Phil Paxton, CP, is the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Birmingham, and St. Mary’s Parish in Fairfield, Alabama. He is the Local Superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama. 

Memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, Parents of the Virgin Mary

Scripture:

Exodus 24:3-8
Matthew 13:24-30

Reflection:

Don’t you admire the bold confidence of the people when Moses, freshly returned from Mount Sinai where he received the Word of the Lord and the Ten Commandments, shares with them all that the Lord had bestowed upon him? They all responded with a unified voice, “We will do everything that the Lord has commanded us. We will heed and obey all that the Lord has said.” So confident, so certain, yet utterly untrue!

This doesn’t mean that good intentions aren’t valuable. They are. However, there are always tempting distractions, competing desires, or personal limitations that can derail those good intentions. What’s remarkable, though, is that God never gives up on us. We need the assurance that, even though we may not be perfect, we are forgiven.

This feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne offers us the opportunity to witness how parents can embody that same love of God. While we may not know much about the legendary parents of Mary, Mother of Jesus, we believe that her parents, whoever they may have been, provided both the structure and rules that parents are expected to impose, tempered by the forgiveness that follows our transgressions and lapses. This forgiveness liberates us to draw closer to God and receive His love. This is holiness. The notion that we must be perfect is a significant obstacle to becoming holy.

In today’s gospel passage from St. Matthew, Jesus encourages his disciples to be patient with the weeds that grow alongside the wheat. The parable of the sowing of the seed is not about a perfect harvest. There will be a time to separate the weeds from the wheat, but we can’t lose sight of the wheat because of the weeds. We can’t lose sight of God’s love because of our sin and imperfections.

Robert Hotz is a consultant with American City Bureau, Inc. and was the Director of The Passion of Christ: The Love That Compels Campaign for Holy Cross Province.

Feast of St. James, Apostle

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 4:7-15
Matthew 20:20-28

Reflection:

A Countercultural Baptismal Commitment

Years ago, I was directing a parish mission in the northern part of the Archdiocese of Detroit named St. Mary’s. The pastor was an intense and zealous minister who loved his people, and who believed that our faith is passed on best through the formation of “Small Christian Communities”.  I thoroughly enjoyed conversations with him around the kitchen table — his stories, his vision of Church — and I clearly remember a phrase etched into the granite above the main entrance doorway of the Church: “There are no volunteers here at St. Mary’s. We simply take our Baptismal commitment seriously.”

Today’s Feast of St. James challenges me in a similar way. The world of St. Paul and St. Matthew wasn’t unlike our own: persecution, confusion, manipulation, heartbreaking violence and oppression. All of this seems more than our fragile minds and bodies — our earthen vessels — can endure.

And, according to Matthew, the community of disciples is at risk of being pulled into that culture, driven by the desire to be the first, to be admired and honored by others, the same temptations that Jesus resisted from the devil when he was in the desert for forty days: power, possessions, prestige.

To be successful and influential in today’s world, many management trainers or motivational speakers urge their audiences to develop their “killer instincts.”  Jesus, however, commands a counterculture, seizing countless opportunities to offer a powerful teaching on humility. “You want to be great?” questions Jesus, “Then change your attitude.”

Today might be that opportunity for “We simply take our Baptismal commitment seriously.”

Fr. Jack Conley, CP, is engaged in preaching parish missions and retreats, and serves as local superior of St. Vincent Strambi Community in Chicago, Illinois.

Scripture:

Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b
Matthew 13:10-17

Reflection:

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  -Matthew 13:17

The other day, I heard that the average time it takes to see your primary physician is three weeks.   Jesus loved to see Himself as a physician.  Approximately one-fourth of the Gospels is devoted to Jesus’ healing.  We must see Him a whole lot more than once every three weeks! The beautiful truth is that Jesus is close, intimately close, 24/7!  But we are all too often not very close to Him. 

Without grace, we cannot contact Him!  Our hearts and minds are totally incapable of creating a relationship with Him without His revelation to us.   “Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” JN 14:6 And even more forcefully: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me drags him; JN 6:44  

St. Augustine speaks eloquently of our struggle to experience this beautiful presence of Jesus.  “O supreme and unapproachable light! O whole and blessed truth, how far art thou from me (my experience), who am so near to thee! How far removed art thou from my vision, though I am so near to thine! Everywhere thou art wholly present, and I see thee not. In thee I move, and in thee I have my being; and I cannot come to thee. Thou art within me, and about me, and I feel thee not.” 

Dear Lord, gift me your mercy and faith so I can receive the wonderful present of Yourself!  Open my eyes that I might see You. Enlarge my heart that it can receive You!

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.  -Matthew 13:17

Fr. Bob Weiss, C.P. preaches Parish Missions and is a member of the Passionist Community in Louisville, Kentucky.

Scripture:

Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15
Matthew 13:1-9

Reflection:

“What have you done for me TODAY!”  That’s a contemporary saying that many of us use when we fear we aren’t able to meet our important needs and no one else steps in to help us or, perhaps, even notices our plight.

While that saying is a contemporary one, it’s clear that the experience of fear in this kind of situation is as old as the human family itself.  In today’s first reading from Exodus we hear just such a complaint from the people of Israel on their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.  They’re hungry.  They have no food.  So, they blame Moses and Aaron for their situation.  On their behalf Moses and Aaron have already overcome the oppression of Pharaoh, brought the people out of slavery in Egypt and opened the Red Sea so they could escape the Pharaoh’s pursuing army.  But, of course, that’s not enough because they’re hungry now.  “But you had to lead us into this desert to make the whole community die of famine!”  There’s no expression of gratitude for all Moses and Aaron have already done for them, only complaints and further demands.

Moses and Aaron feel helpless before the wrath of the people so they go to God seeking guidance.  God’s response is truly remarkable.  Clearly, God is not offended by the complaint or the continuing need of the people.  God simply tells Moses and Aaron to gather the people and tell them that God will provide them the food they need.  Quail will overrun their camp at evening and manna (bread) will be on the ground at dawn.  A simple solution.  God gives the people the nourishment they need.

The parable Jesus tells in today’s Gospel from Matthew also illustrates the overwhelming generosity of God.  The image Jesus uses is that of the sower.  In the parable the sower throws the seed everywhere.  Not just on the rich soil but also on the path, the rocky ground and even among the thorns.  The sower is hardly parsimonious but rather extravagant in sowing the seed.

Both readings remind us that God is more than generous in His gifts to us.  They also illustrate how easy it can be for us to forget all that God’s done for us.  But we need not fear because God will always respond to our needs with compassion and generosity.

Fr. Michael Higgins, CP, is a member of Mater Dolorosa Passionist Community in Sierra Madre, California.

Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene

Scripture:

Songs 3:1-4b or 2 Corinthians 5:14-17
John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Reflection:

I’ve come to think of St. John’s Gospel as “color commentary” on the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While the synoptic gospels give us factual details and timelines concerning Christ’s Resurrection and subsequent appearances, it is John who shows us Christ’s humanity. He does so superbly in illuminating the tender meeting of Mary Magdalene and Our Lord outside the tomb that first Easter morning. 

The depth of infused emotion Christ uses, calling Mary’s name animates a scene that resonates so strongly with our shared nature human nature that even two hundred centuries later, we are still affected by its intensity.  Christ sought out Mary first, before all others.  In her relief and joy, she attempted to hold on to Him, perhaps because she thought she had lost Him on Calvary. But Christ explained that she must not cling to Him because “He had not yet ascended to the Father”.  

Devil promises only after ascending to His Father does Our Lord then seek out His disciples: The men and women who had followed Him, and now have hidden themselves in fear of the Roman authorities, the leaders of the Temple who accused them of hiding Christ’s body, and even angry followers who feel betrayed by Jesus’s promises, expecting the arrival of a powerful, earthly king who would destroy the Roman occupation and subjection of Israel.   

I ask you Lord, please seek me out as well. I have gone all too far from Your path, then struggled in the darkness to find my way back.  Please light the way to follow you, ~ my Redeemer, my Lord, my God.

Ray Alonzo is the father of three children, grandfather of two, and husband to Jan for over45 years. He is a USN Vietnam Veteran, and a 1969 graduate of Mother of Good Counsel Passionist Prep Seminary. Ray currently serves on the Passionist Alumni Council.

Scripture:

Exodus 14:5-18
Matthew 12:38-42

Reflection:

Life’s journey can be confusing.  In our first reading, the Israelites are free from the enslavement of the Egyptians. The Egyptians paid the Israelites reparation for the years of forced labor.  The Israelites had both freedom and wealth. The king of Egypt reversed his decision to let the Israelites go. When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army coming after them, they panicked. Moses told them to fear not and stand still and God told Moses to move forward. Imagine how confusing! 

The journey of life is arduous, challenging and most confusing.  Like the Israelites, when that journey becomes challenging, do we panic and want to return to our old ways?  God’s message was “Don’t fear, move ahead.”   Our future is somewhat uncertain, but do we trust and have faith in God?

The first step to freedom is to realize that we are enslaved.  What does this mean for us?  This means that we need to be aware of and acknowledge those areas in our life where we aren’t free but enslaved to wealth, work, prejudice, fear,  and other addictions.  As we walk along the uncertain winding road of life it can be confusing. God calls us to freedom and to be free from sin and various forms of slavery. 

We can’t stand still, but with faith and courage we move forward. O God of the journey,  You rescued the Israelites, please rescue us from things of this world that might enslave us so that we journey in freedom with our faith and trust in you. (Sr. Melannie Svoboda, S.N.D., Today’s Good News, Living With Christ, published by Bayard, Inc. p. 154)

Carl Middleton is a theologian/ethicist and a member of the Passionist Family.

Scripture:

Genesis 18:1-10a
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38-42

Reflection:

The Gospel reading for this Sunday (Luke 10:38-42) teaches a lesson I often need to hear. Our reading is about a visit Jesus makes to a village where a woman named Martha welcomes Him. Marta has a sister named Mary. And so Martha is busy attending to the needs of Jesus along with other guests. But Mary sits at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him. When Martha sees this, she complains to Jesus: “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?” and Jesus replies, with an answer I’m sure Martha was not expecting, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

Now many of us, especially those who grew up with siblings, may be very sympathetic to Martha’s complaint. After all, at a big event, it’s usually “all hands on deck.” For me, Jesus is not choosing sides between working and not working. He calls us to action, otherwise we wouldn’t have the parable of the Good Samaritan we heard last week. But He also calls us to prayer, as He often went by Himself to pray.

I think the “better part” that Jesus is talking about is related to what He says to Martha: “You are anxious and worried about many things.” The “better part” that Mary chose was not so much resting instead of working, but resting in Jesus. Martha was so anxious and worried in her busyness that she could not listen to Jesus nor abide in His love for her.

There are times when I can get so caught up in worrying about what I need to do, or get anxious about how I’m doing, or whether I’m making too many mistakes, or if I’m doing enough, or if people appreciate what I’m doing, or so many other thoughts of self-absorption, that I forget to trust in Jesus’ love for me, which prevents His love shining through me to others.

When I can trust in His love for me, and let go of all those concerns about me, then I can do what He calls me to do, and serve Him and the world that He loves. The founder of the Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross said it well in one of his letters: “Do the things you have to do. Work, but without haste and anxiety. Work diligently, but with peace of heart and a quiet spirit, remaining in the presence of God.”

When we trust in the love of God, we are able to show the hospitality that Abraham and Sarah showed to the three visitors that came by in our first reading from Genesis (18:1-10a). We can even rejoice in our sufferings for the sake of the gospel, like St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians (1:24-28).

These words came to me as I was reflecting on these readings: Listen-Trust-Love-Serve.

Fr. Phil Paxton, CP, is the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Birmingham, and St. Mary’s Parish in Fairfield, Alabama. He is the Local Superior of the Passionist Community in Birmingham, Alabama.